


Lamedon Abandoned

by daisynorbury



Series: Four Days in March, III 3019, Gondor [2]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 12:31:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4101034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisynorbury/pseuds/daisynorbury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>March 9th, Third Age 3019.  Gimli and Legolas ride with the Grey Company<br/>from the Stone of Erech to beyond Calembel in a single day. Smooching ensues.<br/>This picks up immediately where "The Hill of Erech" ends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lamedon Abandoned

**Author's Note:**

> First published 8th October 2004.

from The Return of the King, pg. 63:  
  
_When the dawn came, pale and cold, Aragorn rose at once, and he led the company forth on the journey of greatest haste and weariness that any among them had known, save he alone, and only his will held them to go on. No other mortal Men could have endured it, none but the Dunedain of the North, and with them Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas of the Elves._ _They passed Tarlang's Neck and came into Lamedon; and the Shadow Host pressed behind and fear went on before them, until they came to Calembel upon Ciril, and the sun went down like blood behind Pinnath Gelin away in the west behind them. The township and the fords of Ciril they found deserted, for many men had gone away to war, and all that were left fled to the hills at the rumor of the coming of the King of the Dead._

pgs. 150-151:  
  
_And lo! in the darkness of Mordor my hope rose; for in that gloom the Shadow Host seemed to grow stronger and more terrible to look upon. Some I saw riding, some striding, yet at all moving with the same great speed. Silent they were, but there was a gleam in their eyes. In the uplands of Lamedon they overtook our horses, and swept around us, and would have passed us by, if Aragorn had not forbidden them._ _At his command they fell back. 'Even the shades of men are obedient to his will,' I thought._

* * *

Legolas hugged the dwarf hard. His calm had fled in the face of this strange new knowledge, but Gimli seemed the more relaxed for it. His hands were warm on the elf's back, head resting on his shoulder. He seemed moments away from dropping off. Legolas turned and kissed his forehead.

Gimli murmured, "On the contrary I think now I could sleep, finally. Indeed I think I must, despite this beautiful reason you give me not to." He yawned against the elf's neck.

Legolas nodded, his cheek brushing Gimli's ear. He moved away slightly, then stretched out on his back and pulled the dwarf's head down to pillow on his belly. "Sleep then." Gimli settled against him, his left shoulder tucked up against the elf's left side. He knew the dwarf could not see him in a night so deep, but Legolas saw his eyes glint as they opened and gazed up into the dark for a long moment before closing again.

"Thank you, my friend," was all Gimli could muster before sleep claimed him. He did not feel the elf's hand soft on his hair for many minutes thereafter, and did not dream of the shadows of The Dead, nor the caves through which he had passed in fear, nor the dark whispers of Fangorn, nor any other thing that had plagued his rest of late. He did not dream at all. He was at peace for the first time in many days.

When he woke it was to the voices of the Dunedain packing and saddling and hurrying over their meager breakfast, and he found he was alone.

* * *

When the dawn came, pale and cold, Aragorn rose at once, and the Company made ready at his encouragement. He did not let them linger over preparations, and they sped on their way south long before the sun had cleared the mountains. The Shadow Host followed them and the Dunedain were driven on by a tense mix of love for their chieftain and fear of the dark morass at their backs. Gimli rode behind Legolas on Arod, and it seemed to the elf that the dwarf clutched him more tightly than he had the day before. It was impractical to talk while traveling at such speed, and most of Gimli's strength was spent just staying upright on the horse, hour after aching hour. He could not quite push the fear of the ghosts from his mind while they followed so closely- it felt too like pursuit- so he did his best to concentrate on the comfort of the night before. He didn't know if it had been real or a dream, but the sweetness of the memory tempered his fear, and he clung to it.

At midday they passed through Tarlang's Neck and Aragorn called a halt to allow the horses rest and pasture. Legolas slid off Arod and helped Gimli down after him. The dwarf walked a bit away from the horses, shaking out his legs as he went, and sat down heavily on the grass. Legolas gathered his pack and followed.

"How are you?"  
"Stiff. You?"  
Legolas reached in the pack and pulled out gifts from the Rohirrim- cheese, dry beef, bread. He handed them to the dwarf and sat down next to him. "All right, though I worry for the horses. There is water enough here, and grass, but I fear Aragorn's haste will not allow them time to rest."

Gimli nodded. He ate quickly and in silence, and when he had finished he set about rubbing his aching knees. Legolas watched him out of the corner of his eye. On any other day he might have sung something, but he was feeling more subdued than usual.  
"Legolas?"  
"Hm?"  
"I had a dream last night."  
The elf swallowed his piece of bread. "Moria again?"  
"No, not like that. A good dream. The first since Lothlorien."  
Legolas smiled broadly, though the dwarf did not look up to see it. "Will you tell me?"  
Gimli cleared his throat. "I was warm. And I had… a pillow much more pleasant than the ground."  
Legolas laid a hand on the dwarf's shoulder, but still Gimli did not look up. "I am sorry I was gone when you rose. Aragorn woke me early. Such are our times."  
Gimli blinked and lifted his head a little. "Aragorn woke you?"  
"Yes."  
He blinked again. "Aragorn… had to _wake_... *you*?"  
The elf chuckled, his hand still on his friend's shoulder. "Yes."  
Gimli drew up his sore knees and rested his elbows on them, gazing off to where the sons of Elrond stood talking with Halbarad. "Um… was I still…?"  
Legolas gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Yes. You didn't really think I was a dream, did you?"  
Gimli exhaled in a rush and finally turned to face him. "I knew not what to think. You have been before."  
The elf smiled at him again, and the dwarf could see it this time. "Have I? How very flattering."  
Gimli blushed all the way up to his eyes and dropped his gaze. "Did Aragorn… ask you about it?"  
"No. My impression was that he did not find it odd."

Aragorn was shouting at them. "Everyone! We must reach Calembel by nightfall!"

Legolas stood and pulled Gimli up after him. The dwarf winced at the pain in his thighs. "Had he asked I'd have told him that I sleep better with you near, but in this matter I am far more concerned with your opinion than his."

"On your mounts!" came the cry, and the Grey Company made ready to go, and they pushed on through Lamedon, and with them Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas of the Elves. And as they rode, Gimli pushed aside his fears and gave Legolas his opinion on the matter. Talk they could not manage without difficulty, so he used what resources were available. As hooves thundered beneath and around them, the dwarf spread his hands in slow, mute caress over the elf's stomach, his sides, his back and shoulders. Legolas, when the terrain and their pace allowed, held to Arod's mane with one hand only, and clasped Gimli's hand with the other. The dwarf pressed bumping kisses into the elf's spine, and now and again stole a hand up under his curtain of hair to stroke the soft skin at his nape. Once Legolas slipped his free hand between them, palm facing out from the small of his back. All he could feel there was mail, but it was warm from Gimli's body and his own. So passed the afternoon, and they endured their weariness and thirst with lighter hearts than their fellows.

* * *

The sun was past its height when the Shadow Host began to overtake them. Legolas saw pale knights flutter past him, swords and lances raised, eyes gleaming in grim faces. On they sped, around and through the galloping ranks of Dunedain. He felt Gimli hold him tighter and press his face into his back, and knew the dwarf had shut his eyes against them. When Aragorn at their head saw what was happening he called another halt. He spun Roheryn around and raised one hand high.

"Oathbreakers! I appreciate your haste, but you appear to be forgetful. I said 'Ye shall come _after_ me.' Do not trouble my companions. The time to fulfill your oath will come soon enough."

With that he turned again and rode on, and the Company followed. The shadows melted into the rear, where they floated together in a fog well behind them. Legolas laughed quietly. A minute later he heard, before the dwarf's words were carried away on the rushing wind, "You feel good when you laugh."

As they rode through the green uplands west of the Ciril they found the farms and fields empty of Men. Cows lowed, abandoned to dwindling stacks of last year's hay, and sheep bells tinkled in the pastures, but neither cattleman nor shepherd did they see, for the Men had gone to war, and their families fled to the hills at the rumor of the coming of the King of the Dead. Lamedon was forlorn.

A red sunset blazed behind them as they reached the river. The fords were deserted. They stopped at the water's edge to stretch their legs and let the horses drink. The Shades kept to themselves, a dark cloud hovering above the grass some distance away. Gimli and Legolas stood together beside Arod.

"Horse, you grow bonier by the hour."  
Legolas grinned and patted the beast's side as he drank. "Unlikely, it's only two days since we left Rohan."  
"My backside begs to differ."  
Aragorn's voice rose over the throng. "Eat, friends, while you may. We've miles yet before we stop for the night."  
Legolas said, "And would be gladder for a night in one of Calembel's inns, I'd bet."  
The idea of a room to themselves appealed very much to Gimli and he nodded. "Aye, and the rest of me. If I'd known in Rivendell how much time I'd be spending on a horse…"  
Legolas rubbed the dwarf's back and said nothing.  
"Did he say 'miles'?"  
"Mm."  
"It'll be dark soon."  
"As it was last night, and still we rode."  
"True." Gimli rubbed his eyes. "Still, 'built to withstand much' and all that, I suppose." He reached into his bag, pulled out a slab of cheese and started munching. "How are you?"  
The elf was stretching his long limbs. "I have not ridden so hard in years." He reached around himself and pressed his thumbs into his lower back. "Tired."

Gimli turned his gaze to the lingering light in the west. The sun had set behind the Pinnath Gelin and the banks of cloud above them glowed deep red.  
"Red sky at night," said the elf.  
"Hm?"  
"Happy sailors."  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"It's an old rhyme- _Red sky at night, sailors' delight._ It's supposed to presage good seafaring weather."  
Gimli blinked at him again. "Mirkwood is as landlocked as the Lonely Mountain, yet you have rhymes about seafaring weather?"  
Legolas shrugged. "It is a subject close to our hearts. We will all sail one day." After a moment he added quietly, "Those who survive."  
The dwarf regarded him thoughtfully. "You have seen the sea?"  
"No, never."

Gimli peered out over the river to the town beyond. He did not touch the elf, despite their afternoon, and seemed to speak lightly to the horizon, but his words belied his tone. "My opinion of the matter, if indeed you were asking, is that here, far from cave or forest, where we are both out of our element, you comfort me that much the better. And had I known in Rivendell what treasure awaited me on the road, despite all that lay between there and here and what may lie ahead, I would have volunteered much sooner…"  
"My friends, we must press on!"  
"…And someday, if we're very lucky, that blasted man will stop interrupting us."

Legolas pulled Gimli into his arms and held him close.

* * *

They forded the river without incident, and in the town of Calembel Aragorn kept their pace to a trot. They came upon a pair of dogs sniffing at the paving stones outside a storehouse, but apart from that the streets were empty. In happier times the silence would have been eerie, but the war made an empty hinterland town no mystery. They sorrowed at its desolation. There should have been lights winking on at the inns, women bustling home with baskets of vegetables, children shouting. They passed a blacksmith's shop and Gimli missed the sound of hammers ringing. They left Calembel at its eastern end, and with words only for the tireless horse beneath him Aragorn sped on ahead, and they followed.

It was well after dark when at last they stopped for the night beside a stream. After swallowing a good half of it Gimli cast himself immediately upon the ground. He was exhausted, and despite the groans of the Dunedain and the horses' noisy drinking and the faint, windy sound the Shades made as they glided around the edges of the camp, he was nearly asleep when Legolas curled up beside him and covered them with the blanket. Tonight Elrohir's fire was small and gave little light.

"Gimli?"  
"Hm?"  
"If you are not quite asleep there is something I would say to you."  
The dwarf rolled over and faced him, eyes well open. "No, not quite asleep." Before Legolas could reply he leaned close and met his lips for a moment. Legolas lay on his side, head cradled on one arm, and Gimli thought that firelight suited him better even than sunshine. The elf reached out with his free hand and tangled his fingers in the dwarf's beard.

"I have seen generations of trees grow from nut to great age, as I believe I've mentioned."  
Gimli scooted closer and laid a hand on the elf's chest. "Aye."  
"I have lived a long time, and been blessed with many friends. Most of them, especially at home in Mirkwood, I have known for centuries. Yet in all that time, not one of them ever grew so dear to me so quickly as you have. It is two months only." And then he yawned, and looked embarrassed and apologetic for it, and the dwarf chuckled at him.  
"What a time for this to happen, eh?"  
"It isn't happening to us- we're creating it."  
Gimli smiled through a snort. "Spoken like an elf. Though I think... it couldn't have happened sooner. And glad I am that we didn't wait to create it later. Never in my life has 'later' felt so uncertain. If our time together is destined to be short then I would learn of you all I can, while I can."  
He watched the oddest expression work its way across the elf's features. He'd have sworn Legolas was on the verge of giggles. "What?"  
The elf tugged his beard. "You say the nicest things."  
And then Gimli was on him and there was no space between them and Legolas knew again the soft sweetness of his mouth, and his delicious warmth, and the texture of his breath; and the war and the long, long day fell away.

That night Gimli offered his own middle as cushion, and Legolas gratefully accepted. The elf retreated after a moment though, rubbing the side of his face.

"Oh, the mail. Sorry." Gimli sat up and removed first his cloak and then the shirt of rings, which he dropped in a heap beside them before returning to the ground.

Legolas stayed where he was. "I would not leave you unprotected."  
Gimli patted his newly-softened stomach. "Well then you'll just have to protect me yourself. Besides, you've survived quite well without any." He laid his hand on the elf's shoulder and pulled him down.  
Legolas settled into him. "I've had your axes at my back."

Gimli had never before served as pillow to anyone, and was amazed to discover that he felt like his body had been designed for exactly that purpose: The elf's head fit perfectly into the bowl below his ribs. He leaned back into the grass and let his heavy, heavy eyes fall closed against the dark. He stroked two fingers over an elven cheek and felt a small smile there. Legolas just breathed.

"Fond as I am of my axes, that's frankly a waste of your back."  
The elf chuckled softly through another yawn. "Got something that's a better fit, have you?"

The dwarf was too tired to blush. His hand came to rest over the elf's heart as sleep drifted in.  
"Mm. I'll see what I can think of."


End file.
